UX Designer, Author, Sketchnoter, Lindy hopper

Reading

I’ve been guzzling books lately, both fiction and non-fiction. It’s the non-fiction set that surprises me, as I’ve never really had an interest. That’s what Twitter and blogs are for. But The Art of Non-Conformity has been on my Amazon wishlist since the week it came out, and in a rash book-buying-extravaganza a couple of weeks ago, I received a copy. I just finished reading the last page. Here are my thoughts.

First, from a design perspective, the book is gorgeous. It feels good in your hands with its textured matte cover and raised print title. The branding evokes a sense of the 19th Century with its combination of serif and sans-serif, slab and the like. It just whispers, “I’m going to be a charming read. Take a chance. Pick me up.”

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. – Dale Carnegie

The book is peppered with inspiring quotes such as the one I pulled from page 60 of the paperback book. I’m a quote junkie, so point to Mr Guillebeau again. More importantly, this book highlights how a man who didn’t graduate high school managed to graduate with two bachelors degrees and a masters, travel the world (I believe he’s made it to over 100 countries), and start a revolution of people doing what they love and not allowing the naysayers to win.

I needed this book. I’m working full-time, and that’s great, because one of my goals once I graduated grad school was to build up my savings. I’ve almost reached my goal and I haven’t worked a full year yet. I wanted to replace my lemon of a car, Beeker, and I managed to do so without a car payment. I wanted to publish my historical fiction novel that I had put aside in order to do well in graduate school, and I did.

I needed this book to make it explicit to me that I’m already living a non-conforming life. Guillebeau gives the standard tips of not watching as much television, of not checking into social media as often, of getting out into the world and experiencing life. He emphasizes the importance of determining what it is you want out of life, because that is what will help you determine all the other decisions you have to make.

I still don’t know exactly what it is I want out of life. People tell me I have time to figure that out, but I disagree. The sooner I figure out what I want, the sooner I can start making decisions that will get me there. It’s not an end-all-be-all moment, for sure. And what I want out of life could certainly change. Which seems to be the point.

The subtitle of the book is “Set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world.” It sounds ridiculously optimistic and naive, yet, Guillebeau’s doing it. And I, being a maker as well as a thinker, want to do the same. So thanks, Mr Guillebeau, for inspiring one more person to continue toward the long-tail goal of living the life she wants, whether it fits the norms of society or not.

Even with the holidays, me underlining like crazy, and taking breaks to happy-rant on the phone to a validating and patient audience, I finished Mark Frauenfelder’s Made by Hand in three days. I told you I was devouring this book.

I’ll try to be succinct, but I fear this review will turn into yet another happy rant because Frauenfelder is coming to my alma mater, Ohio State, in April, and he commented on my previous blog post about this book. Still, I shall rally, and attempt to focus.

Why I picked Made by Hand

The subtitle to Made by Hand is “Searching for meaning in a throwaway world.” This was the clincher to me wanting this book for my birthday. If you’ll remember, my masters thesis Conceptualizing the Maker was all about a subset of users who appropriate technological artifacts for their creative projects which in turn relate the technology to their self-identity. My thesis was simply a more academic look at searching for meaning in a technological, throwaway world.

Frauenfelder spoke to maker!Binaebi with this book. In his introduction he points out that “people are rediscovering the joy of DIY” (15). I grew up in a do-it-yourself (DIY) household. My family culture is if you don’t know how to do it, you learn how by looking it up yourself.

Do-it-Yourself Culture

Frauenfelder points out that DIY a learned behavior, and without this bit of information, makes DIY scary and intimidating.

My exposure to DIYers led me to the realization that do-it-yourself activities were an essential, if not central, part of achieving a richer and more meaningful life, a life of engagement with the world (16).

What Frauenfelder calls “alpha makers,” I call “makers.” These alpha makers take it upon themselves to learn how to do something new, documenting their mistakes and triumphs online so others can benefit. The great thing about being a maker is that makers are not afraid of mistakes and they see the “world as a hackable platform” (21).

This is very different from the traditional educational system in the USA, which Frauenfelder touches later in his book. As students, we are taught there is a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way is punished, rather than seen as an opportunity to explore the space of just why that was the wrong thing to do. I will always be grateful for my elementary school experience, where I was allowed to make mistakes.

Admittedly, I would burst into tears when I made a mistake anyway, but that’s beside the point. I was only seven.

DIYers share their wisdom

Making is a process, not an end. – Mister Jalopy

This book is full of gems of wisdom from all the makers Frauenfelder met during his two year quest to becoming a maker himself. It is true wisdom because these DIYers lived through the mistakes and determined paths that work.

Frauenfelder learns that DIYers “thrive on constantly challenging themselves to learn how to make things and fix things on their own” (58). We follow Frauenfelder’s journey as he attempts to convert his lawn into a garden, build a chicken coop for six chickens (named Ethel, Daisy, Rosie,…), build cigar box guitars, ferment yogurt, and keep bees.

I cheered as Frauenfelder wrote DIY is “rewarding because you are involving yourself in the creative processes” and the “purpose of DIY is learning to take back control of your life from outside parties,” which leads to “independence” (91).

The unexpected joy and ego boost when people see you as a DIYer, as someone who gets things done.

Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” an essay that blew my mind in undergrad and brought tears to my eyes.

How DIYers will “go out of their way to help one another succeed.”

Taking a step back

Apologies. This post is a huge loving all over Made by Hand because he’s preaching to the enthusiastic choir. The great thing about this book is how approachable Frauenfelder makes DIY to those who have an interest but still feel intimidated. It is intellectual, funny, reflective. He is open about his mistakes and his triumphs, and most importantly, the people he met.

DIY is about engaging the world and people around you. This book is a lovely way of encapsulating one man’s experience cannon-balling into DIY and invites others to jump in the pool.

I just wanted to let you know that I have been devouring Mark Frauenfelder’s Made by Hand. I received it for my birthday in August and just got around to reading it… I am underlining something almost every other page. This is the industry version of my capstone and I’m ecstatic to be reading it.

In fact, last night I dreamed I was building a steampunk chicken coop with Frauenfelder. This is not nearly as odd as you might think.

I’ll post a real review once I finish the book, but wow. This book has fired me up in a way I’ve been missing (quite desperately, actually) since graduating from my masters program.

About

Binaebi Akah Calkins is a UX Designer proudly based in Columbus, OH. Her interest in communication, collaboration, visual design, and development, plus her persistent need to bring order out of chaos, led her to the user experience industry. With a Bachelors in Computer Science Engineering, a minor in English, and a Masters in Human Computer Interaction Design, Binaebi facilitates solutions with cross-disciplinary teams.